A giant leap
"We were living a sort of upmarket Good Life," says Anthony Lloyd, reflecting on the "mom and pop"-style B&B business he and his wife Peta started five years ago.
Their early retirement - Anthony from IBM and Peta as a fashion designer - coincided with plans for "a little gentle, summer B&B" at Fallowfields, a rambling, 300-year-old house about 20 minutes' drive from the Cotswolds. Peta learned to cook on the Aga using fresh produce from the garden, winning an AA rosette for her efforts, while Anthony hosted their dinner party-style suppers. All was going to plan.
But the business bug has bitten and this month sees the finishing touches to a £500,000 extension project to create Fallowfields Country House Hotel and Restaurant. The money has been spent on five new bedrooms and five upgraded ones, a new multi-purpose dining area, a state-of-the-art heating system, and a much larger kitchen.
The decision to change from a three-bedroom B&B to an upmarket hotel was the Lloyds' reaction to demand. Requests were coming from companies needing bigger meetings facilities and more bedrooms, and from people wanting to hold parties and wedding receptions at Fallowfields.
Anthony admits that assurances of business from corporate clients made the decision easier. "We kept on discussing it. In the end, we felt we were doing things in a way the guests liked, so we said, ‘Let's go for it'."
Baptism of fire
The practical aspects to becoming a country house hotel are almost complete. It is now the owners and staff who must go through a baptism of fire, as increased bookings for the hotel come through. "We're beginning to realise that guests have a different level of expectation now," says Anthony.
The effect of the investment has been immediate. Corporate clients are booking in groups for meetings, training days and conferences. Anthony has had to turn away a group of 20 and is fully booked for the first 12 days of October. And, in a real test for the fledgling business, they have weddings booked for every weekend in September.
The Lloyds are well aware that the success of this dramatic change in focus hinges on their most vital asset: the staff.
To introduce the hotel's new image, Peta and Anthony held a staff "family day" on the August bank holiday weekend. The couple invited employees and families to see the results of the extension work. After tea, croquet and pony-and-cart rides, Anthony outlined their ambitions for the hotel, citing a target turnover of £500,000 in a year's time.
The Lloyds feel strongly that the staff and their families are recognised. "It's important that we maintain the flexible, family-based staff group we rely upon now. We will be doing more business at higher levels and all the staff will be affected, which means their partners or parents will be too," Anthony says.
The couple want to be known as offering the best pay in the area. Their cleaners, for example, earn £4.75 an hour, and this will be reviewed in six months, depending on profits. Anthony sees this as good economic strategy. "Our quid pro quo is responsible, flexible staff working in a happy environment."
With the new rooms has come the need for full-time staff, especially a chef. Alan Jefferson-Mackney began at the end of August, and is already keen to open for lunch and to revamp the menu. "He's got loads of ideas and enthusiasm," says Anthony.
Training for staff
Jefferson-Mackney's appointment takes the pressure off Peta to cook, so she plans to help front of house and set up staff training, especially in service and housekeeping. "If we've got a conference going on all day, for example, the chambermaids can't wander down the stairs with the dirty laundry half-way through the morning," explains Anthony.
In addition, Lynn Trinder and Angela Drewitt have joined to share the duties of reception and supervising the restaurant.
Peter McConnell, originally taken on to do the bookkeeping, has also become a handyman for the hotel, working four days a week. "He's just as happy mowing the lawn as he is doing our accounts," Anthony laughs. At the moment, McConnell is installing an electrical device to keep the Lloyds' ragdoll cat, Phoebe, within the grounds of the hotel.
As they embark on their first month as a country house hotel, the Lloyds are positive, if apprehensive. They are determined to maintain a hands-on approach to customers and staff, and to try, as much as possible, to make the business fun.
The run of September weddings is good news, but there are understandable anxieties. A lot of regular casual staff are on holiday and Peta's training programme will not be fully up and running. With conference bookings during the week, Anthony is aware it's not going to be an easy start for the chef, either.
Jefferson-Mackney ruefully agrees. Although the kitchen is ready to be fitted with new equipment, he's still using the Aga. Though he likes it, he says "it takes a bit of getting used to". He recalls that he once had to ask one of the Lloyd's children to remind him which oven was which. n
Next visit to Fallowfields: 22 October
